The aim of the bilateral youth exchange project "Active Youth for Joint UNESCO World Heritage European Beech Forests - Youth for Beech" was to promote nature awareness of young people through enhancing the understanding of and emotional connection to nature. With the example of two European Beech Forests which form part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe", the project aimed at conveying the importance of protected natural areas and raising awareness about how human well-being benefits from nature protection. With direct reference to the participants' personal lifes, the project's objective was to provide the participants with learning opportunities to understand why nature conservation is important for their own life-world and how their lifestyle has an impact on nature. The project was implemented in the form of a bilateral youth exchange with pupils from Angermünde (Germany) and Starigrad-Paklenica (Croatia) to foster international understanding and cooperation for sustainable development. The project aimed at encouraging the participants for active engagement in social and societal processes applying participatory methods and providing opportunities for democratic discussion, exchange and decision-making.